LONDON – A London police detective was arrested for leaking information about the inquiry into phone hacking at News Corp's News of the Worldtabloid, while the Metropolitan Police also said it had detained a 14th suspect in that investigation.
A 51-year-old detective was arrested at work yesterday for misconduct related to unauthorised disclosure of information about the phone-hacking investigation, known as Operation Weeting, police said. He was suspended from duty.
Dan Evans, a former reporter at the News of the World, is the 35-year-old man police said they arrested yesterday on suspicion of intercepting voicemails, according to a person familiar with the situation who declined to be identified because they were not authorised to discuss the matter.
“I made it very clear when I took on this investigation the need for operational and information security . . . It is hugely disappointing that this may not have been adhered to,” said Sue Aker, the Met deputy assistant commissioner in charge of the phone hacking inquiry.
UK newspapers have on several occasions published details of phone-hacking arrests before public announcements were made. The Daily Telegraphand Sky News reported the detective's arrest was linked to information given to the Guardiannewspaper.
Both men have been released on bail, the police said.
Paul Stephenson and John Yates, formerly the two highest-ranking Met officers, have both resigned over the force’s handling of the phone-hacking scandal.
– (Bloomberg)